Starvation

This article is about extreme malnutrition. For the usage pertaining to glaciers, see starvation (glaciology).

Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation (in excess of 1–2 months) causes permanent organ damage and may eventually result in death.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 25,000 people die of starvation every day, more than 800 million people are chronically undernourished. On average, every five seconds a child dies from starvation.

Symptoms

Starved individuals lose substantial fat and muscle mass as the body turns to these tissues for energy. The skin's pale and dry appearance attenuates this emaciation.

Vitamin deficiency is common, often resulting in anemia, beriberi, pellagra, and scurvy. These diseases collectively may cause diarrhea, skin rashes, edema, and heart failure. Individuals are often irritable, fatigued, and lethargic as a result.

Treatment

Starvation is usually treated by slowly increasing food intake until no nutrient deficiencies remain. By this time, the diet of a recovering individual should consist of 5,000 calories and twice the Recommended Dietary Allowance of nutrients.

See also

• anorexia
• cachexia
• dehydration
• famine
• fasting
• hunger
• kwashiorkor
• marasmus

External links

• Starvation – Merck Manual
• FAO – Understanding food insecurity
• FAO – What the new figures on hunger mean